The Canidate

In the 1972 movie The Candidate Crocker Jarmin is the current Senator for the United States and he seems to be unbeatable. Marvin Lukas has an idea to get Bill (William) McKay to run against Jarmin in the next race though Mckay was not thought out to be able to beat him. At first McKay is not convinced with the idea of running for senator. It is not ideal for him to follow in his fathers foot steps. McKay finally decides he is going to run after his wife and Lucas convince him he has what it takes. He also only agrees to run with the conditions that he can do and say what he wants to through out his campaign. He know he is not supposed to win. In the beginning of McKay’s campaign he does not know exactly how to approach the public and go about getting people to listen to him. He fails to fully obtain the interest of voters and can’t capture the words to make people believe he has good points to make. His campaign manager Marvin Lucas tries to give him advice as to how to handle questions from the media and from the public, but McKay still wants to speak for himself. When both Jarmin and McKay are speaking to the public, Jarmin constantly has the advantage over McKay. The People believe in what Jarmin says because he has more power and is able to make more promises. Also, McKay comes off as a young and naive candidate well on the other side Jarmin is an older, wiser, and more experienced candidate. McKay’s Campaign strategy of saying what he wanted, not listing to his team, ignoring his platform, and not having a stance on many political issues did not work in his favor. After appearing unaware to the public McKay decided to change his campaign strategies and become more personable. He chose to speak to more groups that felt that they were unheard. His campaign staff made his commercials to represent change and hope. His slogan became â€Å"For a better way vote Bill McKay. † His strategy to identify with the public seemed to be more affective rather then his previous strategy of being blunt and indecisive. Well McKay was trying to appear as a working class man Jarmin would try to appear as a true American. His campaign strategies focused on really showing that Americans had to work together and be united. Jarmin continually made his speeches and commercials focus on keeping the American dream. After McKay changed his campaign strategy his following started to grow immensely. He was receiving more media coverage along with Jarmin then ever before. McKay started being aired on news casts, political hearings, and his speeches started being filmed. Since McKay was receiving more coverage he was also coming up in the polls, and won in the primary elections. After McKay’s victory Jarmin realized McKay was real competition. Jarmin started to release commercials speaking out that letting McKay win senator was like letting a kid win senator. After the commercial was released McKay spun the statement a different way and stated that the country needed a new out look and needed changes, and in order for it to become better they needed new and fresh ideas. When Jarmin realized that McKay was giving him a run for his money he finally agreed to have a debate with him. Through this debate they were asked various questions, but neither one of them gave straight answers. They both talked about the questions but never expressed their stance on it. You did not get to learn much about the candidates because both were trying to please the public rather then speak strongly on and issue. After the debate McKay’s closing statement raised some chaos. He stated that the real issues were being ignored and that the questions that were being asked were not the questions that the public was concerned about. He believed that the people cared more about policy issues and those were not being handled or addressed properly. After the debate McKay’s following became so large that is team was astonished. McKay finally had a strong following and really had the people’s attention. He was giving speech after speech and was gaining more and more support for the democratic party. He was also giaing support from other politicians and more important people that could really help him out. Towards the end of the race they were only separated by three points. This is when people started to truly believe he had a chance. When November finally hit and they were waiting for the ending results to come in his father said to him â€Å" You’re a Politician, Son. † This statement eant that McKay did become what he had not originally planned. He never thought he would get involved in politics and follow his dad, but he was. With out being aware of it he had became everything opposite of his original plan. At the very end of the movie McKay and his campaign Manager had one last private conversation. It was in that moment that Lucas revealed that McKay had one. McKay’s final q uestion was â€Å" What do we do now? † This victory came as a great surprise to McKay and he did not know what to make of it, but he knew he now had to make life changing decisions not only for him self, but for America.

Customer Loyalty in a Business To Business Context Essay

Customer loyalty is considered to be a powerful tool for most organizations in ensuring that they gain a competitive advantage in their respective industries ( Lam, Shankar, Erramilli, & Bvsan, 2004, p. 294). Customer loyalty is necessary for ensuring that organizations remain profitable while also achieving growth through reaching out to new market grounds. The importance of customer loyalty in the world of economics has developed gradually as an area of study especially business to business (B2B) environments. This is due to the need to study and identify factors that ensure customer loyalty is maintained and even increased, according to Haghkhah et al., (2013, p. 156). Haghkhah, et al., (2013, p. 156) further noted that increased competition for customers in the market signifies that business ought to react even faster and more specific to the demands and wants of clients in order to win their loyalty. For this reason, marketers in most organizations tend to focus on customer retention techniques and also to lay an emphasis on increasing their loyalty levels. In order to achieve this, B2B has offered vast opportunities to ensure that most organizations achieve their objectives of customer retention and loyalty. Thus, the latter shows the importance of understanding customer retention and loyalty as an important area of the research study. Customer loyalty is viewed as a behavior of repetitive buying and further developed moving forward with factors such as antecedents, consequences, and factors. This has led the researcher to gain an interest in conducting further research on customer retention and loyalty, therefore, this research paper will be on the various ways and techniques that organizations can implement in order to increase customer loyalty in a B2B context Customer loyalty According to Haghkhah, et al., (2013, p. 157) a high rate of loyalty in a B2B environment is a competitive advantage to the seller due to the client’s willingness to pay a higher price for goods and sensitive since they start becoming less price sensitive as a result of trust that has been gained. This means that the income generated is likely to increase and remain stable to move forward Customer loyalty is viewed as a strategy that aims at ensuring customers gain behaviour of repetitive purchasing from the same company. Customer loyalty in a B2B environment achieves a mutual reward that benefits both the customer and the organization. It is usually considered as ways of gaining competitive advantage by an organization over its competitors. Various companies have applied the strategy of maintaining customer loyalty since it is considered cheaper in regard trying to gain new customers in order to increase their revenue base. ÄÅ'ater.T & ÄÅ'ater.B (2010, p. 1322) view customer loyalty based on activities such as contract renewal, making recommendations to clients and increasing patronage in a business to business environments. They further note that these factors will likely influence the level of loyalty to clients of an organization. In other research, customer loyalty in a B2B environment is based on the experiences of the client, the future expectations that a client may have about the organization and the frequency at which a customer buys goods and services from the organization( haghkhah, Abdul Hamid, Ebrahimpour, Roghanian, & Gheysari, 2013, p. 158). Further, (ÄÅ'ater & ÄÅ'ater, 2010) notes that in order to influence the loyalty of clients in a B2B context, and then the organization has to understand the behaviour of the client and the attitude of the client. Literature review 2.1 Limitations and Gap in Literature The field of customer loyalty is one that has much information, but very little attention has been given to business-to-business scenarios. Most previous research has mainly focused on the customer’s point of view (Mascareigne, 2009). This could be because most view customer retentions as a behavioral factor. (Ranaweera & Prabhu, 2003) In any economy, businesses have to transact to perform their daily operations. Some businesses, such as audit firms, exist to serve other businesses. Extensive research on this area could aid other businesses to learn the dynamics of customer loyalty amongst themselves. A major limitation that was also experienced in the research was the over generalization of the research based on a B2B context. Since different businesses have different operations and strategies, some aspects may works for a certain sector that may not necessarily work for another. For example, concepts that may be used to increase customer loyalty in the banking sector, may no t work in the manufacturing sector. According to Buttle (2008, p. 267) commitment is defined as the relationship that exist between the two firms and is likely to be terminated at a reasonable future date. In a B2B environment, the commitment shared by the two firms is usually on a mutual agreement. Doma (2013, p. 72) notes that commitment between two firms is usually bonded by trust among the two firms. The level of trust that is usually shared by the two or more firms that conduct business affects their commitment framework. The more a firm is committed to another increases the level of loyalty shared by the two firms. Moorman & Rust (1999, p. 183) in their research notes that commitment is usually the level of effort that is put by firms in ensuring a valuable relationship enjoyed by the two firms is maintained in the long term. The relationship usually has economic benefits for the two firms in their bid to ensure they remain profitable in their operations. For this reason, there exists a belief among organizations that the relationship has economic benefits; thus efforts are put in maintaining it. However, according to Hennig-Thurau (2004, p. 463) states that many scholars tend to argue that there is no major difference between loyalty and commitment. That school of thought has been dismissed by Morgan & Hunt (1999, p. 24) who argued there is a difference between loyalty and commitment. They, however, noted that the two are related, with a commitment being an antecedent of loyalty. This means that commitment is a factor in B2B environment that will increase the level of loyalty. This also meant that the existence of commitment had a strong positive impact on the level of commitment. Shabbir et al. (2007, p. 280) in their research demonstrated that commitment is an antecedent of loyalty. They argued that commitment in the B2B environment, it played a central role in ensuring that loyalty is always maintained and even increased to higher levels. Sharma, et al. (2006, p. 77) in their study note that commitment is the situation whereby there is a desire to make a relationship stronger with another person or even group due to familiarity or even friendship has that has been developed over time due to the personal interaction that has occurred between the two over a period of time(Eakuru & Mat, 2008, p. 125). Therefore, commitment should be as a result of identifying the values that are shared commonly between two organizations. It is crucial to note that the customer will retain a relationship with another party due to the positive effect they have with the supplier. At times, a client may be forced to continue staying in a relationship with another party due to lack of valuable options that may be available to them (Fullerton, 2005, p. 1388). However, most relationships are maintained with a commitment as a result of the benefits that both parties will benefit from (Brandi, 2001, p. 67). When commitment is the guiding principle of B2B environment, and one organization performs poorly in comparison to the incumbent organization, then due to the level of commitment shared the partners are unlikely to switch to other options (Stephan , 2002, p. 20). This makes a commitment an underlying factor that will help in influencing the level of loyalty in a B2B environment (Stephan , 2002, p. 33). Akin (2012) gives an example, in comparing the loyal between customers with low loyalty and customers with high loyalty and explains that customers with high loyalty will be not be swayed by discounted prices from other suppliers. Therfore, the higher the level of commitment that will be shared between organizations an increase in loyalty levels between the organizations will be experienced. If the level of commitment is increased through activities such as contract renewal and making of recommendations to the other organization, it will in turn increase the level of loyalty enjoyed by the two firms. Therefore, if organizations want to increase the rate of exit by their clients, then they have to build a relationship that will be founded on a commitment. Commitment will in turn increase the level of loyalty in a B2B environment. This will ensure that the future of the organization is maintained as it will continue making profit. In a study conducted by CITATION Gus05 l 1033 (Gustavsson & Lundgren, 2005) they give an example whereby airline companies use their frequent flyer programs as a means to enhance repeated purchase through provision of economic incentives to ensure that they increase and also maintain loyal among their clients. 2.2 Theories and Methodologies A common principle that has emerged from the total quality management (TQM) movement is that the decisive path, to retaining customers, is to satisfy their needs (Colby, 2013). The theory holds that if by identifying what customers expect and by meeting these requirements and expectations, these customers are less likely to opt for the services given by a competitor. Past research conducted by Colby (2013) has shown a positive relationship between satisfaction and loyalty. In other words, if a client is satisfied with the services offered by a business, the client is bound to be loyal to the business. Other studies have also identified a positive relationship between service quality and customer loyalty (Van Es, 2012). However, a certain level of satisfaction does not always guarantee the desired loyalty. In a certain survey, Colby suggested four indicators of customer loyalty and this include; demographics, past behavior, perception of gain or loss of switching to a different brand and attitudes towards openness to new brands. Studying these four indicators can give a better understanding of customer loyalty. For instance, if a business expects to save on costs by transacting with another business, then they are most likely to be loyal to that particular partnership. The attitudinal approach takes a view of purchase behavior and tends to explain in terms of values, beliefs and attitudes. Deterministic theory entails the logical relationship between variables and researchers in this field are responsible for identifying which variables affect customer loyalty. It appears to be acceptable to most cognitive researchers that attitude comes before behavior in a scenario that involves repurchasing a product and is very important because attitude comes before a choice. The behavioral approach holds that internal processes cannot be measured and, therefore, have no place in research (Bennet & Bove, 2002). Understanding customer loyalty in a B2B scenario is a long term relationship regardless of the importance of the transactions. Both methods may differ in views but can be both used to understand the concept. Although customer loyalty research has evolved over the years, most of this research uses a logical empiricist paradigm(Paavola, 2006). Information about customer loyalty has been derived mainly from cognitive psychology, with theories about attitude forming most of the work. Current theoretical framework could, therefore, bring a new perspective into the loyalty research. Paavola (2006) uses the social constructionism paradigm to examine the notion of customer loyalty critically. The study gives a detailed description of customer loyalty that is based on the social reality of customers. The results imply that different types of loyalty should be taken into considerations when making managerial implementations. Categorization can also be very beneficial when it comes to future loyalty research. Most theories, which are associated with loyalty studies, deal with issues such as loyalty programs, customer satisfaction, customer value, service quality and social bonds (Jacobsen, Olsson, & Sjovall, 2004). A model constructed by Jacobsen, Olsson and Sjovall (2004) shows that social bonds have the most significant effect on customer loyalty with companies in the banking sector. The study shows that the most important factors, in maintaining customer loyalty in the banking sector, were social bonds and personnel. This is because, banking services are very similar and to survive in such as market, strong competitive personnel are required to make the right connections. The same study revealed that monetary benefits are not a significant factor in that area of business. According to Kuusik (2007), the factors, trustworthiness, satisfaction, importance of relationship and image are important factors that play a role in the different levels of customer loyalty. Traditionally, most research has focussed on either the influence of individual factors on loyalty or the nature of different levels of loyalty. It is important to not only view loyalty through behavioural criteria, but also attitudinal criteria as well. Behavioural clients could be divided into; forced to be loyal, functionally loyal and loyal due to inertia (Kuusik, 2007). For instance, in a B2B context, when a certain company is a monopoly, getting supplies from them is the only logical answer, and this forces a company to be loyal by force. Businesses can be loyal by inertia due to the importance of a certain process. If the process is of low importance, then there is practically no need to get another partner. This can happen in situations where the transaction is routine such as trash- pickup. Functionality loyalty is gained from when organizations have to partner with other organizations because they have an objective reason to be. Research has shown that inertia is a situation opposite to loyalty CITATION Aki12 l 4105 (Akin, 2012). For example, a business may select another business since they require minimal effort to reach them. Dahlgren (2005) used multivariate data analysis techniques to build a link between dimensions of brand loyalty and to capture the different levels of customer loyalty. The result showed several differences in the loyalty dimensions. In a similar study, Kuusik (2007) uses a LOGIT regression model to determine the significant factors that affect customer loyalty. The model comprises of various factors that affect customer loyalty. The study reveals that image, satisfaction, importance of relationship and trustworthiness are the most significant factors in loyalty research. According to East et al. (2005) the definition of loyalty is useful if they can be used to predict phenomena such as search, retention, and recommendation. The authors establish that combination measures of customer loyalty often act as poor indicators of consumer loyalty as compared to other singular indicators such as recommendations. Apart from viewing these combinations to be of limited value, the research also establishes that there is no form of loyalty that always predicts different loyalty outcomes and a general concept of loyalty should be abandoned (East, Gendall, Hammond, & Lomax, 2005). For instance, instead of using indicators such as loyalty programs and money rewards, researchers should either look for retention of customers and any recommendation given by them. 2.3 Identifying relationships between ideas and practice to increase loyalty in a B2B context Various ideas have been drafted in order to increase customer loyalty in a B2B context. For example, from the above review, it is noted that identification of the company’s prospects and acting on them will help in increasing the loyalty. However a company can deliver on all the needs of their clients, but the delivery of their services will influence the level of loyalty moving forward. If when delivering all the needs of their client, and they produce a poor delivery service, then this will likely lead to a decrease in loyalty level. For example according to Akin (2012) factors that help increasing the loyalty of customers is high-level service quality delivered by firms that will lead to a high level of customer satisfaction. In another scenario, companies tend to try and find ways in which they can influence the frequency at which their clients access their websites for information. However, research indicates that half of the customers get information from their website. The lack of companies to invest and provide websites that are easy to access and provide the necessary information to their clients will lead to a decline in the level of loyalty. For this reason, there is a clear distinction between the ideas developed to increase loyalty and the practices a company will adopt. Conclusion From this literature review, it can be shown that various researches have tried to establish the existence of a positive relationship between loyalty and aspects such as service quality and customer satisfaction. Some studies have employed the use of correlation analysis to investigate this relationship. Correlation research allows a researcher to determine whether a relationship between variables exists, it allows one to define the extent of the relationship between the variables (Gall, Gall, & Bord, 2005). Qualitative and quantitative research methods both have their benefits and drawbacks. For instance, when the correlation between two variables has been established, it still does not tell the researcher what should be done, but rather what can be done. Qualitative methods, as used by Paavola (2006), can also bring out knowledge that is not familiar with other researchers. The results can also be influenced by the researcher’s personal biases. However, some of these studies tend to cover wide areas that may take long periods of research. The benefits of customer retention have been recognized by many researchers (Feihua, 2011). In the business to business scenario, certain aspects of retaining a customer bring out themselves than conducting business with the ordinary customers. For instance, paying attention to the ordinary, like attending meetings on time is not a necessary, but a crucial habit to consider. In a B2B relationship, the parties are more defined, and this is based on the assumption that both parties are seeking common benefits in the relationship (Oy, 2010). In a normal business to customer relationship, the dissolution of the relationship ends up in the consumer leaving the services of the provider. In the B2B setup, the end of the relationship is thought in terms of a process while in switching is thought as just as a change in the relationship. In customer loyalty research, perhaps it would be of vital importance to consider the industry in which the research is being conducted on. In industries wher e the businesses provide similar services, social bonds could be the prevalent factor that promotes consumer loyalty between businesses. In other industries, where the services offered are different, probably loyalty programs and monetary rewards could be the way to win customer loyalty. References Akin, E. (2012). Literature Review and Discussion on Customer Loyalty and Consciousness. European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences, 158-170. Brandi, J. (2001). Building Customer Loyalty: The 21 Essential Elements †¦ in Action. Texas: The Walk The Talk Company. Buttle, F. (2008). Customer Relationship Management (2nd ed.). New York: Routledge. Doma, S. A. (2013). Relationship Quality as Predictor of B2B Customer Loyalty. SYSTEMICS, CYBERNETICS AND INFORMATICS, 111(1), 72-78. Gustavsson, S., & Lundgren, E. (2005). Customer Loyalty. Lulea University of Technology. Haghkhah, A., Abdul Hamid, A. B., Ebrahimpour, A., Roghanian, P., & Gheysari, H. (2013). Commitment and Customer Loyalty in Business-To-Business Context. European Journal of Business and Management, 15(19), 156-164. Lam, S. Y., Shankar, V., Erramilli, M. K., & B. M. (2004). Customer Value, Satisfaction, Loyalty, and Switching Costs: An Illustration From a Business-to-Business Service Context. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 32(293), 294-311. Bennet, R., & Bove, L. (2002). Identifying the Key Issues for Measuring Loyalty. QUT Digital Repository, 1-29. ÄÅ'ater, T., & ÄÅ'ater, B. (2010). Product and relationship quality influence on customer commitment and loyalty in B2B manufacturing relationships. Industrial marketing management, 39(8), 1321-1333.Colby, C. (2013, December 9). A New Paradigm for Understanding Customer Retention. Retrieved from Rockbridge: http://rockresearch.com/a-new-paradigm-for-understanding-customer-retention/ Eakuru, N., & Mat, N. (2008). The application of structural equation modeling (SEM) in determining the antecedents of customer loyalty in banks in South Thailand. The Business Review, Cambridge, 10(2), 129-139. East, R., Gendall, P., Hammond, K., & Lomax, W. (2005). Consumer Loyalty: Singular, Additive or Interactive? Australian arketing Joural, 10-17.Feihua, Q. (2011). Customer Retention in E-commerce business. Haaha-Helia University press, 1-56. Fullerton, G. (2005). How commitment both enables and undermines marketing relationships. European Journal of marketing, 39(11), 1372-1388.Gall, J., Gall, M., & Bord, W. (2005). Applying educational research: A practical guide (1st ed.). Boston: Pearzon. Hennig-Thurau, T. (2004). Customer orientation of service employees: Its impact on customer satisfaction, commitment, and retention. International Journal of Service Industry Management, 15(5), 460-478. Jacobsen, D., Olsson, M., & Sjovall, A. (2004). The Creation of Customer Loyalty. Kristianstad University, 1-71. Kuusik, A. (2007). AFFECTING CUSTOMER LOYALTY: DO DIFFERENT FACTORS HAVE VARIOUS INFLUENCES IN DIFFERENT LOYALTY LEVELS? Tartu University Press, 1-29. Mascareigne, J. (2009). Customer Retention. Lulea University Press, 1-88. Moorman, C., & Rust, R. T. (1999). The role of marketing. The Journal of Marketing, 180-197, 63.Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1999). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. The Journal of marketing, 20-38.Oy, O. (2010). IMPROVING CUSTOMER LOYALTY THROUGH A REGULAR CUSTOMER PROGRAM. TAMPEREEN AMMATTIKORKEAKOULU University Publications, 1-45. Paalova, H. (2006). Categories of Loyalty. Toward Meaning-based Theory of Customer Loyalty. European Advances in Consumer Research, 420-428. Ranaweera, C., & Prabhu, J. (2003). The influence of satisfaction, trust and switching barriers on customer retention in a continuous purchasing setting. international journal of service industry management, 374-395. Shabbir, H., Palihawadana, D., & Thwaites, D. (2007). Determining the antecedents and consequences of donor †perceived relationship quality—A dimensional qualitative research approach. Psychology & Marketing, 24(3), 271-293. Sharma, N., Young, L., & Wilkinson, I. (2006). The commitment mix: Dimensions of commitment in international trading relationships in India. Journal of International Marketing, 64-91. Stephan, B. (2002). Customer Loyalty Programs and Clubs (2nd ed.). London: Gower Publishing, Ltd. Van Es, R. (2012). The Relationship between Service Quality and Customer Loyalty, and its Influence on Business Model Design. Universiteit Twente, 1-85. Source document

Bullying and Fun Thing Essay

Schools from all over the world should really start preventing all this bullying thats going on. I find it bad that everyone makes fun of everyone. Either if it’s cyberbullying or just bullying, it’s a problem for a lot of students. In order to prevent bullying and all of this harassment, there’s so many things that I’d think can solve this problem. One of the first things that i think could be a solution for all of this would be talking to all of their parents, have a meeting about it, because most of their parents are also bullies. For example, that mother in Missouri who was making pretend she was a guy named Josh Evans on myspace and was cyberbullying her daughters friend just because she wanted revenge on that poor little girl and then she committed suicide. This all needs to stop! Parents are supposed to be setting an example for their children but they’re really not doing that correctly. More and more kids are losing their lifes because of this. It really isn’t a fun thing to do, the only thing you’re really doing is hurting and making them feel really bad. Noone would like it if someone else would do it to you. Changing the subject, the community should be more aware of this in my opinion. I feel like they need to step up a whole lot and make them have some changes around. The police should track on the computer everything that happens with everyone now a days, and if there’s any cyberbullying going on then they should just simply arrest them. They should be more stricter about it, not just around the community but also in schools. Sometimes I feel like they’re really not doing anything about bullying. I feel like noone cares at all, especially after what happened with the young adults that commited suicided these past few years.

Portfolio Diversification and Markowitz Theory Essay

Portfolio Diversification and Markowitz Theory - Essay Example However, there is a claim from Swisher & Kasten (2005) that a post-modern portfolio theory factoring in the role emotions and subjectivities has emerged but the leading journals do not confirm the claim. Gitman & Joehnk (1996, p. 670) attribute to Harry Markowitz, a trained mathematician, the development of the first set of theories â€Å"that form the basis of modern portfolio.† Modern portfolio theory is â€Å"an approach to portfolio management that uses statistical measures to develop a portfolio plan† (Gitman & Joehnk 1996, p. 670). Other than Markovitz, â€Å"several other scholars and investment experts have contributed to the theory in the intervening years† (Gitman & Joehnk 1996, p. 670). Gitman & Joehnk (1996, p. 671) identified that some of the key concepts used by the theory â€Å"are expected returns and standard deviations of returns for both securities and portfolios and the correlations between returns.† Gitman & Joehnk (1996, p. 673) point ed out that at the theoretical level, the optimal portfolio choice is made by an investor at the point of tangency between the investor’s indifference curve and his or her efficient frontier of investment. The efficient frontiers of investments consist of a set of combination of risks and returns deemed most acceptable to the investor. The investor is assumed to accept higher risks provided returns will be higher. This is shown in Figure 1 where the Is are the indifference curves of the investor associated with the investor’s utility. Figure 1. Indifference curves, efficient frontier, and optimal portfolio. Source: Gitman & Joehnk 1996, p.

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Audacity. The Role Of The Technology In The Learning Process Essay

Audacity. The Role Of The Technology In The Learning Process - Essay Example Students could go to the computer lab, and, instead of having to write their homework or projects in class, could get a jumpstart on their homework and projects by dictating them into microphones connected to the computer. The words will then appear on the screen and the students don't have to do any typing whatsoever. This would be ideal for students who have learning disabilities or difficulties spelling, as it takes care of that aspect for them. Their speech is all they need. This aligns to NET-S standards by helping students use their creativity, use digital media to communicate, use information, think critically, practice responsible use of technology, and operate new technology.4 This aligns to NETS-T standards by facilitating and inspiring student creativity, desigining and developing a digital-age learning experience, modeling digital-age work and learning through use of Audacity, promoting model digital citizenship and responsibility by using this technology correctly, and engaging in professional growth and leadership by demonstrating the effective use of the digital tools and resources of Audacity.5 It supports the learner by helping him or her not have to physically write his or her papers; rather, he or she can dictate the papers to the computer and the software will process them for him or her. That is the beauty of this software. What is the role(s) of the

Corporate Finance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 3

Corporate Finance - Essay Example The alternative to the CAPM has been proposed by Ross in 1976. CAPM fails to deliver the desired outcome due to its impractical assumptions. For example, it has been assumed that all the investors share the same kind of information and possess the same amount of information. It may not be feasible in the real market scenario. Moreover, Fama and French (2006) argued that identifying and estimating the market return (Rm) is quite a difficult task. Thus, a different form of pricing model has been proposed named as Arbitrage Pricing Theory (APT). In APT, the pricing of the equity has been derived based on the number of systematic factors. The model exposes that a set of common factors stimulate the outcomes of the market. Moreover, this model also highlights the fact that stocks of the same industry tend to move together. The presence of the multiple factors has complicated the CAPM and also narrows down its scope. In APT approach, the values of the assets are evaluated based on the law of one price and no arbitrage. The model can be considered as a multi-factor model. APT is derived from a statistical model. However, CAPM can be treated as an equilibrium asset pricing model (Fama and French, 2004). The assumptions like the equal expectation of the investors are not considered in APT. According to Grammig and Schrimpf (2009), the APT model is more reasonable compared to the CAPM, as the former considers the lesser amount of assumptions. The assumptions of the APT model are as follows.

Organisations and people Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Organisations and people - Essay Example This is a debatable reason because normally universities offer much more than colleges, however, due to the amount of enrollment, Ohio Dominican University cannot compete with many schools. I also feel the choice of extra curricular activities is also far more interesting at Columbus State Community College because since there are more students. I will get more specific as to why I chose Columbus State Community College in the following paragraphs. Body Ohio Dominican University is quite small which means that its programs have a home feel to them however in terms of providing opportunities for future job prospects, it is limited because of its weak enrollment numbers and small size of the campus. Some people feel that a small school is exactly what they want and need and a small size can actually improve the quality of life for people in school, however, it would be better if this school were larger like Columbus State Community College is. There is nothing wrong with a small school however it cannot compete with the large variety of experiences a larger school can offer. Once again, not everyone would agree about this however it is the stance I have chosen. Ohio Dominican University has the ability to provide a sense of comfort and a more relaxed atmosphere since it is very small but resources and quality are limited when larger schools exist because brighter students enroll in larger schools because of the many more choices of academic programs offered. A larger school means more programs, more opportunity, more competition, and a higher quality of education. Ohio Dominican University would be better in my opinion with a larger enrollment because they have a strong position with their Catholic affiliation and they offer many degree and post degree programs that are not offered in Columbus State Community College or any other college for that matter. Ohio Dominican University has a plan to achieve growth however if it does not achieve this goal, then it would be considered a worse school than many others that have attracted more students. The general look of their websites do not really speak of their distinctiveness or whether one is better than the other. Unfortunately only key factors like enrollment or programs offered allow me to make my comparisons. Completing a degree at a university in North American would allow for more job prospects though and allow a much greater chance to compete in the real world. College programs are able to provide great introductions to programs and provide a much more practical and hands on approach that is not involved in the university experience. Ohio Dominican University oddly has such a small number of students enrollment that the people who want to look into going there would most likely wonder why the enrollment is so small. There are small cities but the number attending there is extremely small. Many people in rural communities that are much happier with rural life, feel like attending a small school with few people is the greatest experience and they also feel they can get a much better quality education from these schools since enrollment is so low. One might also be able to take a stance that would suggest that no one school is better than any other because all colleges that are public are the same and all universities are the same. One might criticize lack of job prospects or the differences that one school may offer more opportunities

Development of Comprehensive Integrated Marketing Communication Mix Assignment

Development of Comprehensive Integrated Marketing Communication Mix - Assignment Example Other than messages regarding the cure of the Prostate Cancer the charity should also develop messages about creating awareness in the masses. Stage 5: One should identify the channels and who to hit what stake holder. May be message for each stake holder is same but there is difference in approaching them so other than proper message identification of proper channel also matters. This also includes how the message development helps the supporters and teams of the organization to achieve the objectives of the organization and help them in creation of the awareness regarding the disease. Stage 1: Background – The UK Charity Sector The UK charities’ market is large, with more than 169,000 ‘main’ charities registered with the Charity Commission in June 20071. A ‘main’ charity is defined by the Charity Commission as one that is: â€Å"required to prepare accounts and to send an Annual Return to the Charity Commission or, if their income is less th an ?10,000, inform the Commission of changes to the information held on the Register of Charities.† Based on the latest available financial information reported by each of these ‘main’ charities, their total aggregate annual income, according to the Charity Commission, amounts to just over?46 billion. As would be expected, many of the charities are very small, with an annual income of less than ?10,000, which is below the Charity Commission’s reporting threshold. Although these are still required to keep accounts, they do not have to submit them as a matter of course to the Commission. Around 90% of total annual charity income is controlled by the largest 5% of the charities. These are all subject to more stringent annual reporting and audit requirements. There are 722charities with an annual income in excess...In assignment Development of Comprehensive Integrated Marketing Communication Mix, the author describes man principles and backgrounds of this moder n marketing trend in order to create critical outlook and answer next questions: How it can be used nowadays? Which can projects be realized with such method? With the example of different charity programms, the author decides to show the mechanism of this work: ''The UK charities’ market is large, with more than 169,000 ‘main’ charities registered with the Charity Commission in June 2017. A ‘main’ charity is defined by the Charity Commission as one that is: â€Å"required to prepare accounts and to send an Annual Return to the Charity Commission or, if their income is less than  £10,000, inform the Commission of changes to the information held on the Register of Charities.† Based on the latest available financial information reported by each of these ‘main’ charities, their total aggregate annual income, according to the Charity Commission, amounts to just over £46 billion. The charity can also have strategic alliances with the same organizations who are working in same area, the charity can get benefited from their strategies, fundraising strategies for example and it can also adopt their business model as replica if it is working on small scale'' This assignment will be helpful for those who study marketing in University. The theme of this work is more than actual and social acute for modern society and the world.

Health Policy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Health Policy - Essay Example Among these the social factor can be considered to be the most influential. This is because it is only the awareness of the public that makes to utilize the medical resources. Most of the people lack awareness. This could be possibly due to illiteracy. Hence those sections must be taught regarding various aspects of health and care. Modern public health is often concerned with the addressing determinants of health across a population, rather than advocating for individual behaviour change. There is a recognition that our health is affected by many factors including where we live, genetics, our income, our educational status and our social relationships - these are known as "social determinants of health." A social gradient in health runs through society, with those that are poorest generally suffering the worst health. However even those in the middle classes will generally have worse health outcomes than those of a higher social stratum (WHO, 2003). The new public health seeks to ad dress these health inequalities by advocating for population-based policies that improve the health of the whole population in an equitable fashion. (Wikipedia -the free online encyclopedia) Managed Health Care, a general classification used for a type of health insurance that provides comprehensive medical care based on a prepaid contract as opposed to traditional fee-for-service health insurance. Traditional health insurance pays a health-care provider each time a medical service is performed. Managed health-care plans, however, pay health-care providers a set monthly fee for each member of the plan, regardless of whether the member seeks medical care. Managed health-care plans are so-named because they attempt to manage or control the costs of health care by requiring participants in the plan to seek medical care from designated physicians. These physicians act as "gatekeepers" who determine if patients need to see more costly medical specialists. Most managed care systems encourage preventive medicine, operating with the philosophy that it is better for the patient and more cost-effective to focus on preventing illness or to treat an illness in its early stages than to treat an illness in advanced stages. Accordingly, managed health-care plans provide broad coverage for preventive care, such as immunizations and physical examinations, unlike traditional health insurance plans. Managed care plans are unique to the United States. They are usually offered through employers, although individuals and senior citizens who receive government-funded health insurance through Medicare can enroll directly in managed care plans. Most employer-sponsored plans allow an "open enrollment period" of one month when employees can decide whether they want a managed care plan or a traditional fee-for-service plan, also known as an indemnity plan. (See also Health Insurance.) There are three basic types of managed care plans: health maintenance organizations (HMOs), preferred provider organizations (PPOs), and point-of-service plans. II HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS HMOs provide comprehensive medical services in exchange for a monthly payment from the plan participant. HMOs developed in the early 1970s with the passage of the federal Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973. The law applied minimum, uniform standards in all 50 states for a health insurance organization to qualify as an

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Essay Example for Free

Cognitive Behavior Therapy Essay What is cognitive behavior therapy (CBT)? CBT works by changing people’s attitudes and their behavior. It focuses on the thoughts, images, beliefs and attitudes that we hold (our cognitive processes) and how this relates to the way we behave and deal with our emotional problems. Research has shown that cognitive behavioral therapy is effective in treating anxiety disorders as well as panic disorders and social phobias. The cognitive component helps change the thinking patterns that keep one from overcoming their fears. For example, a person with a panic disorder might be helped in seeing that his or her attacks are not really heart attacks as believed. The tendency to interpret physical symptoms as the worst case scenario can be overcome. Also, someone exhibiting symptoms of a social phobia could be taught how to overcome the belief that others are continually judging him or her. The behavioral therapy component pays close attention to the relationship between our problem, our behavior and our thoughts. CBT can be effective therapy for the following problems: anger management, anxiety and panic attacks, depression, drug and alcohol problems, and post-traumatic stress disorder. These are just a few of the many problems that can be successfully treated with CBT. Studies have shown that having just twelve sessions of CBT can be as helpful in treating depression as taking medication throughout a two year follow-up period. Of course, CBT is quite complex and is not a miracle cure. Being treated by a counselor with specific CBT expertise is recommended. The client must also be persistent and open-minded. The CBT approach has recently been used in many pre-packaged, brand name programs such as, â€Å"Reasoning and Rehabilitation,† â€Å"Aggression Replacement Therapy,† â€Å"Thinking for Change,† and others (â€Å"Preventing Future Crime with CBT†). In some instances, medication can be accompanied with psychotherapy for best results in treatment. This is important to give any treatment a fair trial. If one approach doesn’t work, chances are, another one will. Be persistent and don’t give up! Works Cited Preventing Future Crime with Cognitive Behavior Therapy (http://www.all-about-psychology.com/cognitive-behavior-therapy.html)

Role and importance of advertising

Role and importance of advertising Advertising is the most important weapon to market any product or service. To success an advertising campaign there should be creative minds to promote. Collecting and using information of customers as well as the competitors of your customer can create a huge advantage to take the competitive advantage. In this section we try to present, how effect for creative designing IS and through that we like to discuss what are the ting that world concern about advertising. In here we would like to introduce the way to success in creative designing using IS. The creative industries in which the product or service contains a substantial element of artistic or creative endeavour (Caves 2000) are industries that supply goods and services that we broadly associated with cultural, artistic, or simply entertainment value (Caves 2000). The media and advertising industries, in which creativity is seen as central are considered to be creative industries. At the same time, there has been petite IS research on creativity, in distinction to the sufficient literature on creativity in engineering, science, education, architecture, and psychology (Couger et al., 1993), and even less so in the organizational, managerial context. What is advertising? Advertising  is a type of  communication  designed to  convince  an audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to buy or take several action upon goods, ideas, or services. It includes the name of a product or service and how that product or service could do well to the consumer, to convince a target market to obtain or to consume that particular  brand. These messages are generally paid for by sponsors and viewed by the use of various media. Advertising can furthermore provide to communicate an idea to a huge amount of people in an endeavour to encourage them to capture a certain action. Advertising theory Hierarchy of effects model It explains the goals of an advertising promotion and for each individual advertisement. The model suggests that there are six steps a customer or a business shopper moves through when doing a purchase. The steps are: Awareness Knowledge Liking Preference Conviction The actual purchase Means-End Theory This tactic suggests that an advertisement must have a message or means that leads the customer to a desired end state. Leverage Points It is considered to move the customer as of understanding a products benefits to connecting those benefits with personal values. Verbal and Visual Images Current Trends The Marketing Mix The marketing mix has been the strategic concept to advertising. The marketing mix was proposed by Professor  E. Jerome McCarthy  in the 1960s. The marketing mix contains of four basic components called the four Ps Product is the first P representing the real product. Price represents the method of defining the rate of a product. Place represents the variables of receiving the product to the customer like supply channels, market exposure and movement organization. The final P stands for Promotion which is the procedure of reaching the target audience and convincing them to go out and purchase the product. Niche marketing Another important tendency concerning future of advertising is the rising reputation of the  niche market  using niche or targeted ads. Also carried nearly by the Internet and the concept of  The Long Tail, advertisers will have an increasing talent to grasp exact audiences. In the earlier, the most effective way to convey a message was to complete the biggest  mass market  audience conceivable. But, usage tracking, consumer profiles and the rising popularity of niche content carried nearby everything from  blogs  to social networking web sites, afford advertisers with audiences that are lesser but much well defined, leading to advertisements that are more significant to viewers and more effective for companies advertising products. Most successful method to advertise The informal availability of the Internet has engaged the advertising world by tempest with several enterprises taking to the online standard to promote their goods and services to the worldwide market. Though, the up-to-date research records are demonstrating that the most effective advertising intermediate remains to be the Print Media. One of the top media agencies in England feels that by advertising in newspapers and magazines you can expanse a more dedicated group of customers who likes to buy your goods online. According to the agency, online business is well for making purchases due to the luxury level it deals in that publics do not have to drive long distances to buy goods. On the source of fashions and readings, some of the top commercial organizations feel that once it approaches to advertising, newspapers and magazines evidence to be more successful. This is for the reason that customers put more reliance in newspapers and magazines while compared to online promoting. They think that this happen because people who publicise in newspapers seem like more honest because they pay for advertising for their assistances. Advertising online is free in some cases, and therefore the probabilities of frauds will be high. Several of the best advertisement companies in the world create colour advertising reachable and cost effective for small and medium level businesses to advertise in top newspapers in the UK. The pages of advertising agencies, which publish in the weekend extra newspapers, are particularly dedicated to small and medium level businesses to promote their goods and services. These pages are read by an extremely dedicated group of customers who are beholding for good online deals which they can buy easily from their households. According to certain advertising firms, an effective advertising plan combines the influence of both online and offline methods. They recommend that web based businesses have to advertise in the magazines and newspapers to success over consumers and afford for online buying procedures so that they can buy from their home at any time they like. Online businesses can combine the finest of both mechanisms, by succeeding this strategy Furthermore, instead of publishing a classified ad on any page of a newspaper, firms can publish advertisements in completely dedicated space for online companies to advertise their products or services. As an example, certain dedicated pages of the advertising firms are read by educated and rich groups of individuals who know that this area is dedicated for online advertising offerings. Business firms can contact the agents of reputed advertising agencies who can support to choose the exact newspapers or magazines to publish advertisements, based on target audience. The Advertising agents make their approvals based on publication, demographics, location, etc. so that will increase the chance of success the target audience. By surfing a website that well know offline advertising firms, businesses can gain an awareness into the happiness level of online businesses who have published on the firms pages and observed a growth in circulation. By advertising in printed media and especially on the firms page, can also reach people who dont have technical knowledge enough to browse the Internet and looking for goods and services. These societies basically have to read advertisements on the dedicated agency pages, take the URL and log on to particular business website to create purchases. These can be taken as reasons that the modern tendencies in advertising use the printed media to drive online traffic where people can create purchases expediently without traveling big distances. Creative advertising benefits with IS, Case study Case Study,  26.02.08 INTRODUCTION Innovative use of Windows Live Spaces, together with creative advertising and a dedicated pet health microsite, helped to build a community of animal lovers around Nestlà ©s Purina ONE pet food brand. Advertising online with MSN raised message awareness by over eight percentage points, with purchase consideration rated as excellent. CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES Reach a target audience of women aged 35 and over Raise awareness of the Purina ONE brand Increase perception of Purina ONE as a high-quality pet food Drive brand association with health and nutrition Recruit long-term buyers through a one-month trial challenge. CREATIVE EXECUTION A combination of the MSN Lifestyle channel, Windows Live Hotmail, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Spaces allowed Nestlà © to reach 1.2 million pet-owners with creative advertising directing them to a campaign microsite. For the site itself, MSN advertising created content focused around pet health and nutrition, with features such as Ask the Expert and Pet Guides. Innovative use of Windows Live Spaces allowed owners to keep diaries of their pets progress through the one-month trial challenge. RESULTS Advertising online with MSN generated 14,995 clicks to the Purina ONE microsite, with Dynamic Logics Advertising Effectiveness Report measuring major uplifts against the key campaign objectives: Brand awareness up 6.7 percentage points Online ad awareness up 7.1 percentage points Message association up 8.9 percentage points Purchase intent up 6 percentage points, greatly exceeding the pet food market average and earning a ranking of excellent.

Tourism Laws And Regulations Tourism Essay

Tourism Laws And Regulations Tourism Essay Ensure the right of the people to a balanced and healthful ecology through the promotion of activities geared towards environmental protection, conservation and restoration. An introduction to environmental law, Environmental law is a complex and interlocking body of international treaties, statutes, regulations, and common law or national legislation that operates to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment, toward the purpose of reducing the impacts of human activity. The topic may be divided into two major subjects pollution control and remediation, and resource conservation and management. Laws dealing with pollution are often media-limited, pertain only to a single environmental medium, such as air, water, soil and control both emissions of pollutants into the medium, as well as liability for exceeding permitted emissions and responsibility for cleanup. Laws regarding resource conservation and management generally focus on a single resource, natural resources such as forests, mineral deposits or animal species, or more intangible resources such as especially scenic areas or sites of high archeological value, and provide guide lines for and limitations on the conservation, disturbance and use of those resources. Furthermore, many laws that are not exclusively environmental nonetheless include significant environmental components and integrate environmental policy decisions. Municipal, state and national laws regarding development, land use and infrastructure are examples. Environmental law draws from and is influenced by principles of environmentalism, including ecology, conservation, stewardship, responsibility and sustainability. Pollution control laws generally are intended to protect and preserve both the natural environment and human health. Resource conservation and management laws generally balance the benefits of preservation and economic exploitation of resources. From an economic perspective environmental laws may be understood as concerned with the prevention of present and future externalities, and preservation of common resources from individual exhaustion, the limitations and expenses that such laws may impose on commerce, and the often unquantifiable benefit of environmental p rotection, have generated and continue to generate significant controversy. The Tourism Act of 2009 the State declares tourism as an indispensable element of the national economy and an industry of national interest and importance, which must be harnessed as an engine of socio-economic growth and cultural affirmation to generate investment, foreign exchange and employment, and to continue to mold an enhanced sense of national pride for all Filipinos. First is to ensure the development of Philippine tourism that is for and by the Filipino people, conserve and promote their heritage, national identity and sense of unity, Second is to recognize sustainable tourism development as integral to the national socio- economic development efforts to improve the quality of life of the Filipino people, providing the appropriate attention and support for the growth of this industry, Third is to promote a tourism industry that is ecologically sustainable, responsible, participative, culturally sensitive, economically viable, and ethically and socially equitable for local c ommunities, Fourth is to create a favorable image of the Philippines within the international community, thereby strengthening the countrys attraction as a tourism destination and eventually paving the way for other benefits that may result from a positive global view of the country, Fifth is to develop the country as a prime tourist hub in Asia, as well as a center of world congresses and conventions, by promoting sustainable tourism anchored principal on the countrys history, culture and natural endowments, and ensuring the protection, preservation and promotion of these resources, and sixth is to encourage private sector participation and agricultural-tourism for countryside development and preservation of rural life. B. Environmental Law related to Tourism Mining in the Philippines To encourage any and all communities and local authorities adversely affected by mining impacts to continue to explore and pursue all avenues available within the law at local, national and international levels to register their concerns and aspirations and seek redress for wrongs. And to continue the support to all parties in future efforts to realize a national path to sustainable development based on justice. To reflect the other viewers, of the many people they met in the Philippines and the views of the people and organizations. CONCERNS AND CONFLICTS Mining has a very poor record in the Philippines as a result of the massive social and environmental problems it has caused historically. Some organizations reveal the Philippines to be among the worst countries in the world with regard to tailings dam failures whereby the surface impoundments containing the toxic waste from the mining process failed with disastrous consequences for local people and the environment. In spite of this the Government of the Philippines has been pursuing an aggressive policy to revitalize the mining industry, potentially opening 30 per cent of the countrys land area to mining. It has promised that mining will be carried out to full international standards and that environmental and social problems will be addressed effectively. The government has conducted mining road shows across the globe. Incentives for foreign firms make their operations effectively tax-free for the first five years. Billions of dollars in investments have been promised and a total o f 2,000 mining permit applications are pending. Mining is targeted for many upland areas where it would further reduce forest cover and leave a toxic heritage for succeeding generations. Natural hazards are common in the Philippines, with major portions of the country classified as natural disaster hotspots. Much of its mineral resources lie either in areas of rich biodiversity, in geo hazard zones or within the ancestral domain of indigenous peoples. Responsible mining, in accordance with international best practice, is simply not being observed in the country. Despite the legal frameworks and guidelines, in practice mining applications are considered for watershed areas. Mining is also pursued in conflict zones, the combination of inadequate protection measures and natural hazards can be and has been catastrophic. The countrys record of mining accidents is evidence of this. Most infamous is the Marcopper disaster of 1996, on Marinduque Island, when a mine tailings spill of more than four million metric tons of waste caused widespread flooding and damage to farm lands and property. Villages were evacuated and an estimated 20,000 people along the Boac River were affected. The river was subsequently declared biologically dead. More recently, following spills of cyanide and tailings at Rapu-Rapu Island the governments current mining showcase in Albay, Southern Luzon, an independent commission established by the Government found the company guilty of negligence and recommended that the mining operation be closed down. The government failed to do this and the mine remains open. Most of the Philippines mineral resources are located within the ancestral doma in of its indigenous peoples. Witnessed at first hand the havoc mining is wreaking on the livelihoods, health and human rights of indigenous peoples and other local communities. It also has the potential for massive environmental damage to critical water catchment areas, thousands of hectares of agricultural land and the valuable marine environment. Given the rapidly growing population, which is projected to rise from 84 million to 150 million by 2036, the destruction of these vital ecosystems will have serious implications for the food security and future sustainable development of the country. Unless the water catchment areas are protected and forests are replanted on a massive scale with native species, it is estimated that at least 50 per cent of sustainable agriculture, which require irrigation, will be lost. There are many vocal advocates for the rights of indigenous peoples, local communities and protection of the environment. The development of mining under current circumsta nces is understandably a major and controversial issue. There have been many legitimate expressions of concern and opposition. Even in Congress strong voices are calling for amendments to the mining law. Some people in government and in corporations, however, have labeled critics of these policies as anti-mining and leftist. In the context of the ongoing armed conflict in the Philippines between government and left-wing guerrilla forces, it is feared that such labeling is viewed by some in the military as an incitement to action. Hundreds of people labeled in this way, including many involved in peaceful and legitimate criticism of mining projects and policies, have been killed and targeted for execution. One human rights organization has recorded more than 70017 extra-judicial killings since 2001, with many human rights and environmental activists among the victims. For me we must consider very carefully the ways in which we can help other nations not to harm the environment. Richer nations can criticize the poorer ones for destroying their forests and ravaging their land, even though the more affluent nations contribute to that destruction. Existing international economic structures are such that nations in the third world are forced into using up their natural resources. My own conclusion from the visit was that I have never seen anything so systematically destructive as the mining programmed in the Philippines. The environmental effects are catastrophic as are the effects on peoples livelihoods. Hotel and Tourism Management is affected in the current Laws in the Philippines Sustainable tourism development refers to the management of all resources that meets the needs of tourists and host regions while protecting the opportunities for the future, in such a way that economic, social and aesthetic needs can be fulfilled while maintaining cultural integrity, essential ecological processes, biological diversity and life support systems. Philippine laws govern the rights and obligations of stakeholders in the hospitality and tourism industry. It provides for their rights, liabilities and even benefits as prescribed by law. These are various laws governing Philippine tourism, including the various government agencies involved therein. It will also provide current situation existing in the tourism, travel and hospitality industry which may be analyzed, interpreted and resolved applying existing jurisprudence and legislation. The recent bus hijacking in the Philippines certainly wasnt the finest moment for Manilas Finest, as the Philippine capitals police force likes to call itself. In a city run by a former police officer, a disgraced cop takes a busload of Chinese tourists hostage. The responding police contingent drags its feet, bungles the negotiations, flubs its first rescue attempt, and succeeds only after eight hostages have died at the hands of the hijacker, who is finally killed by a sniper shot that came far too late in the day. Days after the situations bloody resolution, tempers are high in Hong Kong and China, Filipinos ponder how their government has failed them, and the world is asking if any foreign traveler is safe when visiting Manila or the Philippines. Its a fair question; Filipinos will be the first to acknowledge that their famously congested capital city is rife with crime, and local institutions are ill-equipped to handle the caseload. Despite the authorities concerted efforts, gan gs continue to prey on naÃÆ'Â ¯ve travelers, using deception or force to rob their victims or worse. Individual attacks against foreigners hit the news stream from time to time Peace Corps volunteer Julia Campbell was killed while hiking through Ifugao Province in 2007. Tellingly, the head of the Philippines Department of Justice blamed the victim, calling Campbell a little irresponsible for walking unescorted in the mountains. More recently, expats in Angeles City were targeted by a serial killer who coveted their expensive electronics; the suspect had originally been arrested once before, but was set free by the police for unknown reasons. These cases demonstrate a chilling fact tourists in the Philippines cannot expect the same support from the authorities that she might take for granted in places like Hong Kong or Singapore. Not only is the peace-and-order situation in the Philippines far more volatile than in more developed parts of Southeast Asia, the Philippine governments response to tourist safety situations has proven to be problematic, and not even the newly-elected government looks set to solve these problems anytime soon. It only indicates that our law enforcement agencies have few capabilities to handle situations like this, says Banlaoi, noting the incidents tremendous impact on the Philippines tourism industry and the countrys ability to attract foreign investment. This situation is particularly galling considering that the government is targeting tourism as a key growth area. Just as more Filipinos are staking their economic future on a growing influx of tourists, the hijacking incident is seen to dash any hopes of a resurgence of tourism in the Philippines. The Philippines Department of Tourism had earlier projected increased tourist arrivals of 15 percent for the year 2010, up from 8.9 million arrivals last year. The increased number still pales compared to Thailands fifteen million arrivals in the same time period only time will tell if the Department of Tourism will have to revise those figures downward. The DOTs optimism seems hard to sustain in the face of systemic weakness in the Philippines tourism infrastructure. Its not for lack of trying; investors poured $1.3 billion into the Philippine tourism industry between 2000 and 2009, creating 3 million tourism-related jobs in the process, or about 10% of total jobs in the Philippines. That means one in ten jobs in the Philippines will be affected by any tourism downturn caused by news of the hijacking. In the short term, visits have already been affected by the recent news. Thousands of canceled bookings have been reported from tour operators and hotels from all around the Philippines; Boracay operators may lose between P7 million to P10 million due to over 800 cancellations from wary Chinese tourists. On the other hand, other travel groups originating from China have adopted a wait-and-see attitude, quoting Asiatravel.coms David Boh as saying: Normally people will travel from October onwards, so it is still a month away. So what some of our guests are doing is waiting to see how the situation turns out. Some of the guests, what they do is that they purchase additional travel insurance.Pessimists in the local tourism industry worry that the Philippines, never a popular destination at any rate, will remain the purview of courageous backpackers, an even bigger tourism backwater than Laos. Lacking consistent support from the government, tour operators and professionals in the Philippines have taken it on themselves to do damage control in the wake of the hijacking. The Philippines attractions notwithstanding, visitors to the country must perform a delicate calculation, weighing the fun to be had in places like El Nido against the perceived negatives. Certain factors, more than others, will likely come into play. Lack of tourist infrastructure, despite the massive investment poured into tourist destinations, much of the infrastructure that tourists take for granted in other countries still doesnt exist in the Philippines. The Philippine tourism industry is insufficiently centralized, isolating competent travel enterprises and allowing incompetent operators to keep working without sufficient oversight. Strengthen the role of tourism councils and encourage the participation of non-government organizations (NGOs), peoples organizations (POs) and the private sector in initiating programs for tourism development and environmental protection. Tourism Management can help improved the current situations in the Philippines Although often underestimated, the tourism industry can help promote peace and stability in developing countries by providing jobs, generating income, diversifying the economy, protecting the environment, and promoting cross-cultural awareness. Tourism is the fourth-largest industry in the global economy. However, key challenges must be addressed if peace-enhancing benefits from this industry are to be realized. These include investments in infrastructure and human capacity, the development of comprehensive national strategies, the adoption of robust regulatory frameworks, mechanisms to maximize in-country foreign currency earnings, and efforts to reduce crime and corruption. Tourism is a thriving global industry with the power to shape developing countries in both positive and negative ways. The tourism sector has remained robust despite the transnational challenges posed by terrorism, health pandemics, and the global financial crisis. It is up to developing nations to seize the eco nomic opportunities that foreign visitors present, and some countries have proved more adept than others at doing so. Tourism can only achieve the above goals if it respects the environment and places host communities at the center of the development process. Responsibility lies with the governments of developing nations to ensure that tourism grows in a sustainable manner. While tourism can be a force for good both in alleviating poverty and helping to cement peace much depends on the way the sector is planned and managed. Tourism, if properly planned and managed, can help to alleviate poverty and stabilize communities. For that to happen, positive action must be taken by main constituencies host communities, host governments, and foreign stakeholders. Communities should know where their comparative advantage lies whether it is in wildlife, waterfalls, or wineries and focus their development strategy around it, rather than expanding into areas that they think will attract visitors but with which they are unfamiliar. Focus on keeping themselves at the center of their development strategy. This will ensure local ownership of projects and help to keep profits in house. Community-based tourism is also more sustainable and helps to provide the type of authentic experience that most tourists are looking for. Work on enhancing capacity, in both physical infrastructure and human capital. Protect the environment and culture. Communities should remember at all times that it is the beauty of the surroundings in w hich they live the richness of their culture, and the diversity of their wildlife that attracts visitors in the first place. A percentage of the wealth that tourism generates should be spent to preserve these qualities. Establish national tourism strategies and put in place robust laws to protect tourist sites and people who work in the tourist industry. They should also ensure that these laws are enforced. National standards should be established for the tourism industry and its employees should receive periodic training and guidance. Address bottlenecks and constraints. In many developing countries, tourism is undermined because no single government branch has overall responsibility for it. A government should ensure that its tourism sector is not undermined by competing or overlapping departments, at either the national or local levels. Have a creative marketing strategy for the tourist industry. The global tourism trade is highly competitive. Developing countries need to think a bout what sets them apart from other potential destinations and focus on marketing these distinctive qualities. Having a clear focus will also make it easier to attract foreign investment and visitors. Ecotourism could provide a blueprint for managing this process, as it not only builds entrepreneurial skills at a local level but also links community members to the larger world in ways that create knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of other peoples.

The United States is an Energy Hog :: Energy Environmental Issues Essays

The United States is an Energy Hog The Unites States consumes ninety-eight quadrillion Btu’s of energy annually, which is over one-fourth of the world’s total energy consumption. (â€Å"Country Analysis†) For me, this fact is startling, but not surprising. I grew up in a residential sector, an energy-consuming sector that consists of living quarters for private households (â€Å"Definitions†), and I have been taught to conserve as much energy as possible. My mother, a teacher with bachelor and master degrees in science, has always told, well, nagged, my brother and I to â€Å"turn out the lights every time† we leave a room. Many times I have entered the house to find my mother ironing or cooking dinner in a very dark room. Before I even greet her I automatically flip the light switch and ask, â€Å"Mum, why are you in the dark?† She always reminds me that electricity costs money. She also reminds me that my Grandma was eleven years old before her family even had el ectricity! Once in a while, mom will consider what it must have been like for Grandma to grow up without electricity. She always mentions that Grandma had to take cold baths and use the restroom outside. Of course, Grandma couldn’t grab a cold glass of milk out of the fridge or shoot her cousin an email. My mind wanders from Grandma’s life to my own when I think what an inconvenience it would be to be without energy, specifically electricity for lights. Without lights, my lifestyle would be entirely different. Lights enable me to study into the evening. Without lights driving would be impossible. It’s difficult to accept that, where I live, I would inevitably be trapped at home-sometimes when it’s only seven or eight o’clock at night! This would surely alter my hobbies, extracurricular activities and friends. When I was younger, I would think my mom just had trouble â€Å"keeping up with the times,† but, I now know that my mom was accurate when she encouraged me and my brother to conserve and appreciate energy. I can rest assured that another reason that my mother encouraged me to conserve energy was because of expenses. The ten month average of electricity costs, in 2004, was 8.

Theories of Aggression Essays -- Biology Essays Research Papers

Theories of Aggression "Two Gunman at Colorado School Reportedly Kill Up to 23 Before Dying in a Siege." On Tuesday, April 20, 1999, two students, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, of Columbine High School, shocked the nation when they entered the school armed with guns and explosives, killing fellow students and a teacher before taking their own lives. Stories of random violence and aggression such as this all too often plague the media. While the attention of the nation has recently been focused on the Colorado slayings, history reveals countless other similar crimes of aggression targeted towards innocent individuals. In both Nazi Germany and the more recent Bosnia conflict, ethnic cleansing has been used to violently eliminate certain races. In the early 1990s, Timothy McVegh's vengeful intentions led him to use a car bomb to kill hundreds of innocent people in the explosion of the Oklahoma City Federal Building. In these cases, the culprits were seemingly normal people that displaced their aggression on innocent bystanders for a variety of reasons. What is the cause of this unleashed aggression toward society? How can we come to explain such acts of aggression and violence? Are they a result of societal influences, or are some individuals biologically predisposed to crime? This paper attempts to analyze some of the prevailing theories of aggression. The theories can be classified into three groups: innate or biological theories, drive theories and social learning theories. In light of the evidence produced for each, it is my goal to formulate a conclusion about which particular theory seems most substantiated and reasonable. Sigmund Freud is well known as the father of psychoanalysis. In his early theory, Freud ass... ...h murders and violence, we must regard aggression as a summated response to many factors. Individually, the factors probably are harmless, but when united, they can be unleashed as aggression in which case terrible crimes take the lives of so many innocent people. WWW Sources 1)Freud's Theory http://home.fgi.net/~freud/index.htm 2)Freud Biography http://werple.net.au/~gaffcam/phil/psych1.htm 3)Instinct Theory http://www.student.richmond.edu/~efecteau/instinct.html 4)Aggression Theories http://rock.uwc.edu/psych/psy330/outlines/aggression.htm 5)Theories of Aggression http://www.unn.ac.uk/academic/ss/psychology/resource/it/1/HAZ.HTM 6) The Theoretical Development of Aggression http://academic.csub.edu/~lvega/dustin2.html 7) Aggression and Violence: Examining the Theories http://www.nursing-standard.co.uk/vol12-27/research.htm

Importance of Group Essay

According to Social Boundaries and Adherence to a Special Set of Norms Some sociologists do not consider these kinds of organization per se as mentioned in the succeeding section while other sociologists classify them as types of organization based on social boundaries and their adherence to a special set of norms (Zulueta, 2002). 1. Categorical Group A categorical group refers to a social grouping where members tend to share certain characteristics and interests and are aware of their similarities with other in their own social category. Ex. Students, teachers, farmers, senior citizens, fish vendors and other related groups. 2. Aggregate Group An aggregate group denotes a social grouping whose members stay in one place, but do not necessarily interact with each other. The members of this group are concerned only with their own feelings and attitudes. Ex. People forming a single line in the Araneta Center to buy tickets for the basketball game of their favorite player in the Philippine Basketball Association. 3. Collective Group A collective group refers to a crowd whose members are not governed with laws or norms, but share the same beliefs that motivates them to action. Examples are the EDSA People Power 1 and 2, a mass demonstration for a common cause and others. 4. Associational Group An associational group is composed of a group of people who organize themselves to pursue a common interest with a formal organizational structure such as the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC), Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), Philippine Association for Teacher Education (PAFTE) and many others. In an associational group, there is a set of officers elected by its members which is responsible for running the association. According to Interaction and Relationship General classifications of groups according to their manner of interaction and relationship are: 1. Primary Group A primary group refers to small, informal group of people who interact in a more personal, intimate manner and who always have direct and face-to-face communication with each other. It includes the family, neighborhood and play groups. The primary group is characterized by Cooley as the nursery of human nature because it is the group where the child is socialized, acquires and experiences love, affection, sympathy, kindness, tolerance, fairness, loyalty and justice. The individual learns the meaning of personal worth and dignity of a person. 2. Secondary Group A secondary group involves indirect, impersonal interaction where members are forced to interact because of business transactions and the like. The business-like, impersonal and formal interactions of secondary groups allow the members to focus on their special skills. The members of secondary groups can function effectively because of the absence of the touch of familiarity where subjectivity comes in. According to Membership Other classifications of groups which are more specific as to membership are as follows: 1. In-group An in-group refers to a group of people whose sense of belongingness is strong. The members have a strong â€Å"we-feeling†, share common orientation, come from the same background, roots and origin and adhere to the ideology. An in-group is further characterized by a feeling of companionship and a great sense of loyalty. 2. Out-group The out-group is exactly the opposite of the in-group. This group is made up of people whose feelings are antagonistic to the group itself. There is physical membership but in mind and heart, the members dislike the group because of the concept that another group is superior to their group. An out-group is a stereotype where members of the group have specialized trademarks. 3. Reference Group A reference group is a group where people identify themselves physically and psychology to which other people refer in evaluating their behavior and actions. The group becomes the individual’s frame of reference in relation to his/her motivations, aspirations, experiences, attitudes and social affiliations. Oftentimes, a reference group tends to give an impression to a particular person as to his/her social, economic and even political status in the community. Sometimes, individual try to identify themselves with groups whose standing is well-known regionally, nationally or even internationally to demand high respect and special treatment from others. 4. Peer Group A peer group refers to a small kind of grouping whose members have the same level, interests and economic standing in the community. This is exemplified in school among students. Consciously and unconsciously, the members group themselves because they share the same interests and talents and perhaps their parents also share the same. There is also a sense of belongingness, sympathy and loyalty among themselves. 5. Voluntary Association A voluntary association, as the name suggests, is an organization where membership is free and voluntary. Though voluntary in nature, members follow some sets of rules or policies. Examples are civic-oriented groups whose primary purpose is to deliver some social benefits to the deprived, depressed and underserved (DDU) sectors of our society. Voluntary associations are found in some relatively simple societies composed of members with varied and competing interests. Here are some voluntary associations: * Military Associations Military associations are noncommercial societies whose goals are to unite members through their common experiences. * Secret Societies Secret societies are characterized principally by limited membership and by secret rituals generally believed to increase the supernatural powers of its members. * Regional Associations Regional associations are clubs that bring together migrants from common geographical backgrounds. Regional groupings actually give rise to out-groups, particularly when in a foreign milieu. According to Their Nature, Form, Objectives and Interaction Some sociologists have identified other social groupings based on their nature, form and objectives and how members relate with each other. These are the formal and informal groups. 1. Informal Group The informal group is the most common type of grouping based on nature, form, objectives and interaction. It occurs when two or more people interact with each other on issues affecting their welfare. An informal group can be a product of an impulsive act but later on grows into a partnership endeavor with the constant sharing of emotions and sentiments of the members. The group ensures cooperation from each member because of their sense of belongingness and self-confidence. 2. Formal Group A formal group is an organization where the specific organizational structure is constructed to achieve specific goals and objectives. This group has to fulfill a variety of specialized social and personal needs that influence one’s personality. Regardless of its nature, a formal organization has established philosophy, mission, vision and goals as its guiding premises in the discharge of its function. It is in this concern that formal organizations meet their fundamental needs to continue their collaborative efforts to attain these aspirations in a highly complex, industrial and business society.

World of dream

I saw a dream that I was in a land of chocolates . Full of candies , toffees . There was a river which was made of chocolate soup ,tree full of candies and even the who were around them were full of chocolates . I took a slide over a river and I ate many chocolates . I was very happy and I wonder If I would be there for years then suddenly I fell down my bed and heard many noises of my other who was trying to wake me up for the school that day I understood that It was only a dream and not reality and then I felt very sad.I would be there for years then suddenly I fell down my bed and heard many noises of my mother who was trying to wake me up for the school I was very sorry for that Incident but can't help at last when he was happy he was guilty for his act and decided to punish himself. Full of candles , toffees .There was a river which was made of chocolate soup ,tree full of candles and even the who were around them but now understood my pain of life with no one thankful at last I want to say that I am very depressed and want my life to be settled he said and locked him in his room . It was a bad day a worst day of his life his birthday couldn't be celebrated as he don't knew to enjoy sad very sad but can't do anything helpless .There was a river which was made of chocolate soup tree full f candies and even the who were around them but now understood my pain of life to be settled he said and locked him in his bed and felt asleep a happy ending couldn't be achieved . I would be there for years then suddenly I fell down my bed and heard many noises of my mother who was trying to wake me up for the school I was very sorry for that incident but can't help at last when he was happy he was guilty for his act and decided to punish he would like to punish his family friends and so on

Part Four Chapter VII

VII It was a bright, balmy morning, and the computing lab at Winterdown Comprehensive became stuffy as lunchtime approached, the dirty windows speckling the dusty monitors with distracting spots of light. Even though there was no Fats or Gaia here to distract him, Andrew Price could not concentrate. He could think of nothing but what he had overheard his parents discussing the previous evening. They had been talking, quite seriously, about moving to Reading, where Ruth's sister and brother-in-law lived. With his ear turned towards the open kitchen door, Andrew had hovered in the tiny dark hall and listened: Simon, it appeared, had been offered a job, or the possibility of a job, by the uncle whom Andrew and Paul barely knew, because Simon disliked him so much. ‘It's less money,' Simon had said. ‘You don't know that. He hasn't said – ‘ ‘Bound to be. And it'll be more expensive all round, living there.' Ruth made a noncommital noise. Scarcely daring to breathe in the hall, Andrew could tell, by the mere fact that his mother was not rushing to agree with Simon, that she wanted to go. Andrew found it impossible to imagine his parents in any house but Hilltop House, or against any backdrop but Pagford. He had taken it for granted that they would remain there for ever. He, Andrew, would leave one day for London, but Simon and Ruth would remain rooted to the hillside like trees, until they died. He had crept back upstairs to his bedroom and stared out of the window at the twinkling lights of Pagford, cupped in the deep black hollow between the hills. He felt as though he had never seen the view before. Somewhere down there, Fats was smoking in his attic room, probably looking at porn on his computer. Gaia was there too, absorbed in the mysterious rites of her gender. It occurred to Andrew that she had been through this; she had been torn away from the place she knew and transplanted. They had something profoundly in common at last; there was almost melancholy pleasure in the idea that, in leaving, he would share something with her. But she had not caused her own displacement. With a squirming unease in his guts, he had picked up his mobile and texted Fats: Si-Pie offered job in Reading. Might take it. Fats had still not responded, and Andrew had not seen him all morning, because they shared none of their classes. He had not seen Fats for the previous two weekends either, because he had been working at the Copper Kettle. Their longest conversation, recently, had concerned Fats' posting about Cubby on the council website. ‘I think Tessa suspects,' Fats had told Andrew casually. ‘She keeps looking at me like she knows.' ‘What're you gonna say?' Andrew had muttered, scared. He knew Fats' desire for glory and credit, and he knew Fats' passion for wielding the truth as a weapon, but he was not sure that his friend understood that his own pivotal role in the activities of the Ghost of Barry Fairbrother must never be revealed. It had never been easy to explain to Fats the reality of having Simon as a father, and, somehow, Fats was becoming more difficult to explain things to. When his IT teacher had passed by out of sight, Andrew looked up Reading on the internet. It was huge compared with Pagford. It had an annual music festival. It was only forty miles from London. He contemplated the train service. Perhaps he would go up to the capital at weekends, the way he currently took the bus to Yarvil. But the whole thing seemed unreal: Pagford was all he had ever known; he still could not imagine his family existing anywhere else. At lunchtime Andrew headed straight out of school, looking for Fats. He lit up a cigarette just out of sight of the grounds, and was delighted to hear, as he was slipping his lighter casually back into his pocket, a female voice that said, ‘Hey'. Gaia and Sukhvinder caught up with him. ‘All right,' he said, blowing smoke away from Gaia's beautiful face. The three of them had something these days that nobody else had. Two weekends' work at the cafe had created a fragile bond between them. They knew Howard's stock phrases, and had endured Maureen's prurient interest in all of their home lives; they had smirked together at her wrinkled knees in the too-short waitress's dress and had exchanged, like traders in a foreign land, small nuggets of personal information. Thus the girls knew that Andrew's father had been sacked; Andrew and Sukhvinder knew that Gaia was working to save for a train ticket back to Hackney; and he and Gaia knew that Sukhvinder's mother hated her working for Howard Mollison. ‘Where's your Fat friend?' she asked, as the three of them fell into step together. ‘Dunno,' said Andrew. ‘Haven't seen him.' ‘No loss,' said Gaia. ‘How many of those do you smoke a day?' ‘Don't count,' said Andrew, elated by her interest. ‘D'you want one?' ‘No,' said Gaia. ‘I don't like smoking.' He wondered instantly whether the dislike extended to kissing people who smoked. Niamh Fairbrother had not complained when he had stuck his tongue into her mouth at the school disco. ‘Doesn't Marco smoke?' asked Sukhvinder. ‘No, he's always in training,' said Gaia. Andrew had become almost inured to the thought of Marco de Luca by now. There were advantages to Gaia being safeguarded, as it were, by an allegiance beyond Pagford. The power of the photographs of them together on her Facebook page had been blunted by his familiarity with them. He did not think it was his own wishful thinking that the messages she and Marco left for each other were becoming less frequent and less friendly. He could not know what was happening by telephone or email, but he was sure that Gaia's air, when he was mentioned, was dispirited. ‘Oh, there he is,' said Gaia. It was not the handsome Marco who had come into view, but Fats Wall, who was talking to Dane Tully outside the newsagent's. Sukhvinder braked, but Gaia grabbed her upper arm. ‘You can walk where you like,' she said, tugging her gently onwards, her flecked green eyes narrowing as they approached the place where Fats and Dane were smoking. ‘All right, Arf,' called Fats, as the three of them came close. ‘Fats,' said Andrew. Trying to head off trouble, especially Fats bullying Sukhvinder in front of Gaia, he asked, ‘Did you get my text?' ‘What text?' said Fats. ‘Oh yeah – that thing about Si? You leaving, then, are you?' It was said with a cavalier indifference that Andrew could only attribute to the presence of Dane Tully. ‘Yeah, maybe,' said Andrew. ‘Where are you going?' asked Gaia. ‘My old man's been offered a job in Reading,' said Andrew. ‘Oh, that's where my dad lives!' said Gaia in surprise. ‘We could hang out when I go and stay. The festival's awesome. D'you wanna get a sandwich, then, Sooks?' Andrew was so stupefied by her voluntary offer to spend time with him, that she had disappeared into the newsagent's before he could gather his wits and agree. For a moment, the dirty bus stop, the newsagent's, even Dane Tully, tattooed and shabby in a T-shirt and tracksuit bottoms, seemed to glow with an almost celestial light. ‘Well, I got things to do,' said Fats. Dane sniggered. Before Andrew could say anything or offer to accompany him, he had loped away. Fats was sure that Andrew would be nonplussed and hurt by his cool attitude, and he was glad of it. Fats did not ask himself why he was glad, or why a general desire to cause pain had become his overriding emotion in the last few days. He had lately decided that questioning your own motives was inauthentic; a refinement of his personal philosophy that had made it altogether easier to follow. As he headed into the Fields, Fats thought about what had happened at home the previous evening, when his mother had entered his bedroom for the first time since Cubby had punched him. (‘That message about your father on the Parish Council website,' she had said. ‘I've got to ask you this, Stuart, and I wish – Stuart, did you write it?' It had taken her a few days to summon the courage to accuse him, and he was prepared. ‘No,' he said. Perhaps it would have been more authentic to say yes, but he had preferred not to, and he did not see why he should have to justify himself. ‘You didn't?' she repeated, with no change of tone or expression. ‘No,' he repeated. ‘Because very, very few people know what Dad †¦ what he worries about.' ‘Well, it wasn't me.' ‘The post went up the same evening that Dad and you had the row, and Dad hit – ‘ ‘I've told you, I didn't do it.' ‘You know he's ill, Stuart.' ‘Yeah, so you keep telling me.' ‘I keep telling you because it's true! He can't help it – he's got a serious mental illness that causes him untold distress and misery.' Fats' mobile had beeped, and he had glanced down at a text from Andrew. He read it and experienced an air punch to the midriff: Arf leaving for good. ‘I'm talking to you, Stuart – ‘ ‘I know – what?' ‘All these posts – Simon Price, Parminder, Dad – these are all people you know. If you're behind all this – ‘ ‘I've told you, I'm not.' ‘ – you're causing untold damage. Serious, awful damage, Stuart, to people's lives.' Fats was trying to imagine life without Andrew. They had known each other since they were four. ‘It's not me,' he had said.) Serious, awful damage to people's lives. They had made their lives, Fats thought scornfully as he turned into Foley Road. The victims of the Ghost of Barry Fairbrother were mired in hypocrisy and lies, and they didn't like the exposure. They were stupid bugs running from bright light. They knew nothing about real life. He could see a house ahead that had a bald tyre lying on the grass in front of it. He had a strong suspicion that that was Krystal's, and when he saw the number, he knew he was right. He had never been here before. He would never have agreed to meet her at her home during the lunch hour a couple of weeks ago, but things changed. He had changed. They said that her mother was a prostitute. She was certainly a junkie. Krystal had told him that the house would be empty because her mother would be at Bellchapel Addiction Clinic, receiving her allotted amount of methadone. Fats walked up the garden path without slowing, but with unexpected trepidation. Krystal had been on the watch for him, from her bedroom window. She had closed the doors of every room downstairs, so that all he would see was the hall; she had thrown everything that had spilt into it back into the sitting room and kitchen. The carpet was gritty and burnt in places, and the wallpaper stained, but she could do nothing about that. There had been none of the pine-scented disinfectant left, but she had found some bleach and sloshed that around the kitchen and bathroom, both of them sources of the worst smells in the house. When he knocked, she ran downstairs. They did not have long; Terri would probably be back with Robbie at one. Not long to make a baby. ‘Hiya,' she said, when she opened the door. ‘All right?' said Fats, blowing out smoke through his nostrils. He did not know what he had expected. His first glimpse of the interior of the house was of a grimy bare box. There was no furniture. The closed doors to his left and ahead were strangely ominous. ‘Are we the only ones here?' he asked as he crossed the threshold. ‘Yeah,' said Krystal. ‘We c'n go upstairs. My room.' She led the way. The deeper inside they went, the worse the smell became: mingled bleach and filth. Fats tried not to care. All doors were closed on the landing, except one. Krystal went inside. Fats did not want to be shocked, but there was nothing in the room except a mattress, which was covered with a sheet and a bare duvet, and a small pile of clothes heaped up in a corner. A few pictures ripped from tabloid newspapers were sellotaped to the wall; a mixture of pop stars and celebrities. Krystal had made her collage the previous day, in imitation of the one on Nikki's bedroom wall. Knowing that Fats was coming over, she had wanted to make the room more hospitable. She had drawn the thin curtains. They gave a blueish tinge to daylight. ‘Gimme a fag,' she said. ‘I'm gasping.' He lit it for her. She was more nervous than he had ever seen her; he preferred her cocky and worldly. ‘We ain' got long,' she told him, and with the cigarette in her mouth, she began to strip. ‘Me mum'll be back.' ‘Yeah, at Bellchapel, isn't she?' said Fats, somehow trying to harden Krystal up again in his mind. ‘Yeah,' said Krystal, sitting on the mattress and pulling off her tracksuit bottoms. ‘What if they close it?' asked Fats, taking off his blazer. ‘I heard they're thinking about it.' ‘I dunno,' said Krystal, but she was frightened. Her mother's willpower, fragile and vulnerable as a fledgling chick, could fail at the slightest provocation. She had already stripped to her underwear. Fats was taking off his shoes when he noticed something nestled beside her heaped clothes: a small plastic jewellery box lying open, and curled inside, a familiar watch. ‘Is that my mum's?' he said, in surprise. ‘What?' Krystal panicked. ‘No,' she lied. ‘It was my Nana Cath's. Don't – !' But he had already pulled it out of the box. ‘It is hers,' he said. He recognized the strap. ‘It fuckin' ain't!' She was terrified. She had almost forgotten that she had stolen it, where it had come from. Fats was silent, and she did not like it. The watch in Fats' hand seemed to be both challenging and reproaching him. In quick succession he imagined walking out, slipping it casually into his pocket, or handing it back to Krystal with a shrug. ‘It's mine,' she said. He did not want to be a policeman. He wanted to be lawless. But it took the recollection that the watch had been Cubby's gift to make him hand it back to her and carry on taking off his clothes. Scarlet in the face, Krystal tugged off bra and pants and slipped, naked, beneath the duvet. Fats approached her in his boxer shorts, a wrapped condom in his hand. ‘We don' need that,' said Krystal thickly. ‘I'm takin' the pill now.' ‘Are you?' She moved over on the mattress for him. Fats slid under the duvet. As he pulled off his boxers, he wondered whether she was lying about the pill, like the watch. But he had wanted to try without a condom for a while. ‘Go on,' she whispered, and she tugged the little foil square out of his hand and threw it on top of his blazer, crumpled on the floor. He imagined Krystal pregnant with his child; the faces of Tessa and Cubby when they heard. His kid in the Fields, his flesh and blood. It would be more than Cubby had ever managed. He climbed on top of her; this, he knew, was real life.